Alabama’s undefeated start in conference play came to an end on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville against Tennessee, with the University of Tennessee Volunteers taking down the Tide with a final score of 91-71.
The Vols, ranked No. 6 in the nation, physically dominated Alabama from the opening tip.
Turnovers were the story of the game for the Tide. Alabama gave the ball away 13 times in the first half compared to just four for Tennessee — which led to a 50-37 Volunteer lead at halftime.
The Vols shot 19 of 40 in the first half compared to Alabama shooting 12 of 21.
Tennessee had nine offensive rebounds in the first half alone compared to Alabama’s nine total on the game. Alabama also shot just 4 for 21 from the three-point line, good for 19%.
In the second half, Alabama continued to struggle, committing nine more turnovers for a total of 22, compared to Tennessee’s seven.
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Mark Sears finished with 22 points after just seven in the first half, but had a season-high seven turnovers as well. Rylan Griffen also turned the ball over five times.
Dalton Knecht continued an impressive run, scoring 17 in the first half, finishing with 25. During Knecht’s last three games entering Saturday afternoon, he has had scoring performances of 28 points, 36 points, and 39 points.
Overall, Tennessee was the better, more disciplined, more physical team on Saturday. It was not even close in any of the three categories.
Alabama has some serious work to do before No. 13 Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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